Armored Fighter Evangelion
by Trek1030
Summary: In a world where Evas aren't mechas and Angels aren't the size of buildings.... to defend Tokyo-3, with the Armor of Evangelion, the Children learn to truly fight...
1. Part I: The Arrival

Armored Fighter Evangelion

By Trek1030

Part I: The Arrival

Dr. Akagi Ritsuko and Captain Katsuragi Misato walked into the dark abyss of Holding Cage 7 followed by the young Ikari Shinji, his face buried in a NERV Operations manual. Shinji had just arrived in Tokyo 3 a few hours ago, and after a hectic car ride with a narrow escape from many explosions, was being led to his father.

"Well if you started acting more mature," Ritsuko berated Misato, "then maybe you wouldn't have gotten lost at such a critical time."

"At least I was able to find Shinji and bring him to the base," retorted Misato, in a childish tone of voice. The trio walked farther into the dark room, until the door behind them shut with a pneumatic hiss, purging the light. After a moment of shock and fright, the lights reappeared and the dull green metal wall in front of them lifted to reveal a large, empty-looking pool filled with a purple liquid. Struck in awe, Shinji followed Ritsuko and Misato to the middle of the bridge that went across the pool.

"Akagi-san," Shinji asked in curiosity, staring down into the strange, cloudy liquid, "what's in there?"

"This," Ritsuko answered, pulling out a small remote from her lab coat. She punched in a few digits and the room was filled with the sound of machinery whirring. Shinji looked around and saw all sorts of machines working, seeming to work in tandem, surrounding the center of the pool. Turning back to the section of the pool directly in front of them, Shinji saw a platform begin to rise out of the purple fluid; on that platform, there stood a demonic creature, a disturbing look in its golden eyes.

Scared, Shinji stumbled backward a few steps until Misato grasped his shoulder and gave him a comforting glance. "Don't worry, Shinji. It's not alive, it's not going to hurt you."

"Wha... what is… that thing?" Shinji stuttered, still wide-eyed and gasping at the view of the purple, black, and green thing before him.

"It is Test-type Evangelion Armor Unit-01," Ritsuko answered, typing some more commands on the remote, "A synthetic life-form, genetically engineered to bond to another and to physically manifest and use the user's life-energy."

"It's an exoskeleton armor…" Shinji whispered to himself, understanding the weapon a bit more, stepping toward to get a closer look. It wasn't a creature at all; the many parts of the armor were aligned as if an invisible being was wearing it, giving it a humanoid form. It didn't have a head or eyes; rather, it was a headpiece with golden yellow eye displays. The headpiece had a single, purple horn protruding upward from the forehead. The shoulder units had what looked like wings, not the type for flying, but looking more like the stabilizer wings from a plane. It looked nothing like any armor Shinji had ever seen, looking more alive than a weapon or tool.

"Is this why my father called for me?" Shinji demanded, turning to face Misato and Ritsuko. The two women didn't answer; instead the answer came from the booming voice of the man on the platform above them.

"Yes, Shinji." Commander Ikari Gendo said coolly, from behind rose-tinted glasses, looking down at him, "You are to bear the armor, and fight the Angel attacking the city above."

"Sir!" Misato pleaded, stepping forward, "He doesn't even know how to control it! It took months for Rei to learn the basic functions of her armor; how do you expect Shinji to defeat the Angel?"

"He can. The Marduk Institute said he was to be the next fighter. He is the chosen one."

"I can't…" Shinji trembled, looking down to his feet. "I can't fight; I never studied any martial arts, I don't know how to use any sort of weapons. I don't even know how to put it on!"

"You will be given simple instructions," Gendo responded, his emotionless face rigid as a stone. From around his neck, he took a small, white cross on a black necklace and threw it to the boy below him; the boy caught it and stared at the object in his hand, "You'll need this Genesis Stone to put it on."

"But I CAN'T!" Shinji screamed, echoing in the chamber. His hand tightened into a fist around the necklace in his hands; overwhelmed with emotions, Shinji never felt the sting of the cross's edges cut into his flesh of his fingers. He began to speak quietly, holding back tears. "Is that why you called me? Because you have a use for me? Then I won't do it."

"Shinji," Misato spoke softly to him as she leaned over, making her face level with his, "You knew deep down that this wasn't going to be some sort of joyous reunion with your father."

"But Misato…" Shinji said dejectedly, trailing off, tears fell down his face as he looked to the floor.

"Besides, you have to," Misato said, "Humanity depends on you going up there can destroying that Angel."

Shinji looked at her with an expression of sadness and spoke, almost choked, "But I can't…."

"Enough with this, Captain." Gendo spoke harshly from above. "If he won't fight, then get him out of here. He'll only get in the way." He turned to the communications board beside him, activating a communications line, "Fuyutsuki, get Rei ready to fight."

"But Ikari," Fuyutsuki responded, stunned, "she's in no condition to…"

"She's not dead yet." The commander said, cutting off Fuyutsuki.

Below, on the bridge over the dark, purple pool, Shinji stared at the doorway on the side of the room. Its doors parted, sliding into the walls with a gentle hiss; through it came a three-person medical team pushing a gurney, upon which lay a young girl with short, blue hair. Her slender body was draped in bandages, covering her left eye and most of her right arm, to which an IV unit was connected; on her left arm she wore a plaster cast, almost as ethereal a white color as her pale skin. The girl wore a sleeveless, white, skintight jumpsuit that clung to the curves of her body.

"Commander," Ayanami Rei uttered, the throbbing pain detectable in her voice. She grunted in pain while trying to push herself into a sitting position. "I am ready."

"Dr. Akagi," Gendo ordered, "Unit 00 isn't repaired yet, reprogram Unit 01 to accept Rei."

"Hai," she answered, walking to the platform on which Armor Unit 01 rested.

"Don't do this, Shinji," Misato urged, still not leaving the young boy's side, "Don't let that hurt girl go into battle just because you're too scared to do it."

Shinji stared down to his hands; at the cross his father had thrown at him. A purple, four-sided stone was embedded in the cross; something about this necklace was all too familiar to Shinji, seeming to call to him through the misty depths of his memory. In his mind, the answer came quickly to him; he had seen this necklace before, and the stone had not been there before.

The necklace was his mother's.

"What is he still doing here?" Gendo demanded, turning to stare at Shinji on the bridge that crossed the pool..

"Father…" Shinji said loudly, looking up at the Commander of NERV. But before Shinji could continue, the room began to shake, metal falling from the room's ceiling.

"Run Shinji!" Misato yelled, pulling the boy along, "The supports aren't going to hold…"

Shinji could only look at the lone girl on the bridge; Rei had fallen to the floor as the room began to quake, the medical team nowhere in sight. Though silent, the girl seemed to draw Shinji toward her; the boy stopped his movement, turning to the fallen girl. Breaking free from Misato's grasp, Shinji ran while the yells of warning fell on deaf ears.

Misato watched in horror as the beam supports began to fall, and screamed as she saw a mass of metal and debris fell through the sky, descending toward the fallen Rei and the running Shinji.

"Shinji!!"

In Shinji's hand, the small cross he carried began to glow a dull orange. The purple crystal sparkled while a strange light pulsated from it, glowing around Shinji's fist; the light formed into a beam and shot toward the Eva Armor on its platform. The light engulfed the armor, separating the forearm from Armor Unit 01. The piece cut through the air, glowing with the same strange light. The purple mass instantaneously gained speed, becoming a stream of light as it burned through the air.

Shinji kept running toward Rei, his mind not comprehending the danger to himself. Above him, the ceiling continued to crash down toward them both. Shifting his weight, Shinji slid across the remaining distance, speeding toward the helpless girl. Reaching the blue-haired girl, Shinji knelt by Rei, holding her close in his arms, intent on bringing her to safety. But as the boy saw the falling ceiling, Shinji froze. Shutting his eyes, instinctively Shinji raised his right arm, his mind screaming about his impending doom.

But the falling mass of mangled metal never touched the embracing teens.

With a blinding light, the descending debris shattered, filling the air with a fiery cloud and the stench of something burning. A deafening explosion rippled through the air a split-second later, rivaling that of thunder striking down from the heavens.

All personnel in the chamber stared in awe at the sight before them. Shinji knelt on the floor holding Rei close to him with his left arm, while he kept raised his right; the boy stared in wonder at his right arm, now contained within the black and purple armor of the Evangelion. It looked like a disfigured human's arm, yet it seemed to look natural in its shape; it slightly glowed a purple light, sparkling with power of the AT field of Shinji's own life force.

"He can fight…" Misato managed to utter, pulling herself out of shock as she started toward the pair. Shortly behind her, Ritsuko followed, still wondering how it was possible for the Eva to activate.

"I… I… I will…" Shinji said softly, tilting his head down, "I will fight, father… just don't send her out there."

"Well then," the Commander said, with a slight grin slowly growing on his face, "Dr. Akagi and Captain Katsuragi will show you what to do. Be ready in ten minutes." With that, Gendo Ikari left, turning around and walking further down the platform, disappearing into the darkness of a corridor.

"Come on Shinji," Ritsuko ordered, gently pulling the dazed boy up by the arm, "We need to get the rest of the armor on you. There's not enough time to teach you how to consciously call the armor with your Genesis Stone, so just come with me and we'll put the armor on you manually."

"Shinji…" Misato gently called, beginning toward the doorway at one end of the corridor, "I'm going to be in the control room. I'll have a direct communications link with you because of the armor. Go with Dr. Akagi to the launch catapult after you get the armor on."

"Hai" Shinji yelled over his shoulder to the leaving Misato. Shinji took a deep breath as Dr. Akagi slipped the left armor piece onto his arm, examining and prodding with various instruments. His attention wandering, the young boy saw Rei still sprawled across the floor nearby with the returned medical personnel helping her up. Although Ayanami Rei stared at him with the same blank stare she had kept plastered on her face before, Shinji could sense a glimmer of emotion behind that stare.

He could see her thanks.

I look more like some demonic animal than a fighter, Shinji thought bitterly, as he stared down at himself, dressed in the armor of Evangelion Unit 01. His hands looked deformed, and the armor plating on his chest felt… alive. The Evangelion reeked of blood, deeply disturbing Shinji; blood was a smell that sickened the boy to the core, reminding him of death, and of his possible death within the hour. The young NERV fighter inhaled deeply, and then sighed as he turned toward Ritsuko.

"Dr. Akagi, I'm ready," Shinji said reluctantly.

"That's good," she responded with a grim smile. She began to move toward the door of the holding cage, motioning for him to follow. "Follow me. We're going to go to the launch catapults now. I'll try to explain the basic operations while we walk."

"Alright," Shinji said, following her. He grimaced with every step, feeling awkward as his armor clinked with every footfall in the hallway. During short journey, Shinji listened attentively to Ritsuko's instructions.

"The Evangelion Armor responds to your own energy. Therefore, any change in it will affect the amount of offensive energy you can use to attack. The suit itself has a power supply to let it run, but it will only last for five minutes without you getting a fast recharge or umbilical cord. That means that you have only five minutes to fight before retreating."

I'm supposed to fight against a monster and destroy it in less than five minutes? Shinji gulped as the burden of the fight immediately sunk in. His doubt still screamed at him from within, yet Shinji knew it was impossible to back out now.

"Dr. Akagi, how will I fight?" he asked, a bit of desperation leaking through his voice. He and Ritsuko walked to the end of the hallway and into an elevator.

"I was just getting to that," Ritsuko replied while pushing the button in the elevator. The doors slid shut and the pair began to ascend. "I realize that you have no formal training and from the look of you, you don't seem to be the type to get into many fights. You're going to have to use the weapons built into the suit; it's as simple as positioning your body into a specific pose and letting the suit take over. Oh my, we're here already. Hurry up lean up against that wall, the technicians will connect you to it." Shinji did as ordered as the two walked out of the elevator.

"What exactly are they going to do?" Shinji queried incredulously, dreading the answer to his next question, "And what exactly are you guys going to use the catapult for?"

"Shinji, we're going to connect your armor to the track," Ritsuko answered, gently pushing the boy into position, "and then launch you up to the surface a few hundred meters from the Angel."

Shinji shook unconsciously as he stood in the designated spot while four technicians began connecting him to the launch track. Hurrying, the four men attached various clamps, inserted certain connectors. With the technicians done, Shinji stood immobilized waiting for the inevitable command.

"Are you ready Shinji?" Misato's voice flowing from Shinji's headset.

"Hai, Misato…"

"Alright then. EVA LAUNCH!"

Almost immediately, Shinji's world became a fast moving blur of colors and wind. The G-forces of rocketing upward caused him to shut his eyes while involuntary tears fell lightly. He felt queasy as he approached the opening at the street level; disorientation set in as he jolted to a stop at the end on the launch track, which had already begun descending back into the ground, leaving him standing there, waiting for orders.

"Okay Shinji," Misato blared over the radio, "you made it to the surface. The Angel is about two hundred meters west of your current position… oh crap! Shinji! The Angel is headed right for you!"

Terrified, Shinji began to rapidly move his head, looking for any sign of impending danger. But there was nothing but the sound of fire crackling in the buildings nearby; the Angel had obviously passed by this way already.

"Misato-san, there's nothing here."

"It's right on top of you, Shinji! Get ready, it could attack at any minute!"

After taking a furtive glance at his surroundings, Shinji responded through the radio after calming down a bit. "Are you sure? I don't see— ahhhh!!"

The boy in the purple armor shrieked as a green and white blur blazed forth toward him. With only fear in his heart, Shinji dove to the ground mere seconds before the Angel reached him, causing the being to over-shoot its target. Having missed his opponent, the Angel kneeled on the crumbling asphalt, facing away from the boy in the purple armor. The Angel stood and turned toward the young boy, who was still on the ground.

The skies of Tokyo-3 darkened around the two massive energy sources in the middle of the city. The immense flux from the AT fields of the two beings distorted the very fabric of reality in the vicinity; the darkness of the cold night would erratically flash into a bright, dull light that would fill the sky, all the while excess energy releasing itself in the form of lightning striking in every which way, cracking the concrete and asphalt of the ground. The white and yellow beams striking, yet not affecting, the mighty hexagonal orange fields that the warriors emitted from within themselves.

"I have to fight… that… that thing!?" Shinji hollered, his headset transmitting back to NERV headquarters. He was still lying on the ground, panting with his heart racing from the narrowly missed attack.

"Shinji, we're going to send up some weapons for you," Misato answered from NERV's control room, "go to the nearest access terminal… it's about twenty yards behind you."

Shinji slowly picked himself off the ground, his eyes fixated on the creature standing still before him, as if it was staring at him with those dark holes in its head. Shinji stood still, paralyzed at the sight of the Angel; its stature and alien appearance unnerving the boy. The Angel stood three meters tall with its nasty green body accented by some bone-white armor on its shoulders and head with matching white claws and feet, surrounded by an orange field that seem to blaze in an intense heat. Had he not been too scared and confused to think clearly, Ikari Shinji would have notices a similar field around his own body; a field that didn't stay burning like the Angel's, but faded in and out of visibility, though not wavering in its strength.

"Shinji," Misato ordered, reaching the boy's ear through the headset's radio, "get moving before the Angel attacks again!"

"Hai!" Shinji responded, his attention averted. He turned and ran with all his might, adrenaline pumping through his system. It was then that Shinji first noticed a low humming noise coming from his Evangelion Armor; as he ran, the armor would expel his AT energy, speeding up his movements. The burning buildings around Shinji flew by in an orange blur, his every step leaving a trail of upturned asphalt in the street due to the speed at which he ran. Up ahead of him, he saw the opening in the ground from which a box containing weapons was rising. Shinji reached out for it as he ran, but before he was within reach, he was violently wrenched backwards while a burning sensation began to manifest itself in his left arm.

The Angel had run behind Shinji, then clutched his armor clad arm, pulling him toward its sickly green body as it stopped dead in its tracks; the resulting inertia caused the young warrior to fly forward at high speed while his arm remained still. Shinji's blood-curdling scream echoed across NERV radio waves as the angle of the force ripped his shoulder out of the socket, with the only solace provided by the Evangelion armor being that the arm was not ripped completely off. Shinji's shoulder twisted in an odd angle while the Angel lifted him off the ground by his arm; the armor-clad warrior's screams of pain continued over the comm. channels, as did his sobs, providing a sickening show for the NERV command personnel at the control center.

In NERV's command center, all personnel watched the horror unfolding before them on the view screen that occupied the entire front of the vast chamber. Though lights and noise from other terminals filled the room, the place was illuminated by the vision brought forth by the observation camera filming the battle above while a young boy's screams of fear and pain echoed throughout.

At one of the three forward computer terminals, Ibuki Maya stared down at her monitor, trying to concentrate on her work while fighting back tears, trying to avoid facing the image of the boy sent out to fight for NERV. Beside her, Hyuuga Mokoto and Aoba Shigeru hurried in their tasks, attempting to take their minds off of the sorrow that they both felt for the boy shrieking in pain on the screen.

Behind the trio at the computers, stood Captain Katsuragi Misato and Dr. Akagi Ritsuko; their minds both racing, trying to decide on their next course of action. Further behind the two ladies stood Sub-commander Fuyutsuki Kozo next to the chair of Commander Ikari Gendo; the two commanders stood in silence, their faces shown as cold as their hearts seemed. They stayed motionless as Shinji's short muffled cry of "father… help me… please…" echoed through the command center, shaking the crew out of their shock and back to attention.

"There is massive damage in the left arm," reported Maya, tensely, " torn muscle tissue, torn ligaments, and the bone seems to have shattered at the shoulder."

"Unit 01's regeneration and shielding systems are offline," chimed Hyuuga.

"Oh God… how much power is left in the suit?" Misato wondered aloud, her eyes fixated on the events on the view screen.

"About three minutes left on internal batteries!" yelled Shigeru, taking a second to look at the Captain while he gave his answer.

"Ritsuko," Misato asked, turning to Dr. Akagi, "are there any simple power moves in that suit that Shinji can use?"

" 'Power moves'?" said Ritsuko, momentarily confused at the terminology, "They're called internal weapon activation movements, Captain. This isn't a video game! And yes, there's some simple enough he might just be able to pull them off. Just let me think a second."

Moments passed like an eternity as Ritsuko thought through the possible movements that Shinji might be able to do. On the surface above, Shinji let loose another scream as the Angel further tortured him; the scream startled Ritsuko out of thought as she then began to explain the move to Shinji over the comm. link, while Shinji listened intently as he sobbed.

Shinji's cries of pain faded slowly into a shallow grunting as he hung slightly above the ground before the Angel. The Angel clenched Shinji's left arm, lifting it into the air, leaving Shinji dangling from his devastated arm causing sharp pains to flow through his entire body.

His shoulder bone had not only been dislocated from the socket, but had also shattered into many jagged pieces now resting in the near-dead muscle tissue of Shinji's shoulder. The serrated ends of the bone grinded and slashed into what was left of his muscle as the Angel's grip caused Shinji to slightly sway to and fro from his arm.

As he hung there, Shinji's mind played back through his recent memories; perhaps he sought the reason for which he fought and suffered. The young Ikari saw images of the injured girl on the gurney about to fight in his place; perhaps it was for her sake, but then, Shinji didn't really care, which disturbed him to no end. A voice in his mind reminded Shinji that for the survival of humanity, a warrior was needed to defeat the Angels, and that he was the chosen; but that voice was silenced by the misanthropy that dwelled deep within his mind, cultured by years of sporadic bouts of depression and repressed anger.

The burning in his arm grew in intensity. Each moment the Third Child waited was another moment that seemed to linger on, mocking him and his pain.

Staring blankly into the sky, one more thought poured into Shinji's mind. The earnest image of Ikari Gendo standing on the catwalk above the bridge in Unit 01's holding cage faded into Shinji's attention. The elder Ikari stared at the boy, his cold glare still burning through the tinted material of his glasses; six words repeatedly reverberated through the boy's mind…

He… had… a… use… for… me…

Turning his face toward the Angel, Shinji let loose one final plea of hope or perhaps desperation. He whispered, just loud enough for his microphone to pick up, "father… help me… please…"

Staring down into the face of the Angel, Shinji seemed to lock eyes with the creature, which seemed to return the gaze with a disturbing stare of its dark, empty sockets. Shinji froze in fear and awe; he was shaken out of it when he felt the pressure increase on his left arm. A new wave of pain flowed through him from what remained of his injured extremity; the Angel began to crush his left arm with incredible strength. Shinji heard disturbing sounds from his arm, which only aided in producing his next cry of pain; the lower part of his arm was under the pressure of the Angel, manufacturing a sickening sound of cracking bone mixed with the disgusting sound of the Evangelion Armor cracking. As the armor cracked, it created not the splintering sound of metal, but the disturbing sound a living creature's bone.

Dr. Akagi began to speak to Shinji through his headset as soon as his screaming began to fade away into more sobs of pain.

"Shinji," she said hurriedly, yet calm, "listen carefully. Tense the upper part of your right bicep while curling your arm and pulling it back. Then count to two and hit the Angel with your right fist. This is called the 'burning slash'. Try as hard as you can. When you get free of the Angel, retreat back to the launch port you came out from and we'll try to recover you and try another strategy. Got that?"

"Hai," Shinji grunted a response, part of his attention still on the pain in his left arm.

As he hung from the Angel's arm, Shinji began to follow Dr. Akagi's instructions. With his right arm back and his left arm getting crushed further, the slight orange energy field around Shinji began to pulsate toward his right arm, forming faint hexagons around his limb. Shinji's eyes were closed as he counted…

One…

Two…

With the brief count concluded, the young boy extended his fist forward in his first counterattack against the Angel.

On the view screen in NERV's command center, the purple-armored warrior unleashed a fiery impact straight into the face of the gruesome Angel. His forearm not only glowed with energy, but the amount of AT energy caused a highly visible aura of fire to form around Shinji's arm as his fist struck the Angel, releasing the scorching power into a truly destructive force. The flames scattered and engulfed the area along with the Angel, causing the cameras blacked out for a few moments, trying to compensate for the intense light.

The crew at the command center watched impatiently as the flames began to clear, leaving once again an open view of the street in Tokyo-3 that had become a battlefield. Out from the burning inferno walked the figure of Ikari Shinji; unsteadily, and wavering in his balance, the boy made his way slowly toward the opening from which he had come out from, while tenderly clutching his damaged left arm with his right.

Every member of the bridge crew breathed a short sigh of relief as they saw Shinji alive drawing back. Though no matter how relieved Captain Katsuragi was, she put the professional over the personal.

"Where's the Angel?" she asked, not stern, but with concern.

As if cued, the green and white beast began hulking behind Shinji; not going much faster, but its movements still as smooth, not seeming to have lost much strength. It began to slowly close in.

"What Shinji's status?" Misato asked, her eyes not leaving the view screen.

"I am barely receiving any kind of telemetry from the suit," Maya reported, tapping away at her keyboard, "though synch-ratio and life signs seem to be slowly dropping at a steady pace."

"We need to get him back here." Dr. Akagi said to Misato.

"Right," the lavender-haired officer responded, worried, "but is he going to get away from the Ang—"

Misato's words were interrupted by a painful grunt coming from the speakers. Looking to the screen, the bridge crew saw the source of the sound. The Angel had finally closed in on Shinji, wrapping its claw around his head, causing crushing pressure. Shinji was pulled upward once again by the Angel, this time by the head, causing his neck to bend painfully. A beam of pink energy erupted from the Angel's claw, striking Shinji in the head. Beams of light began to repeatedly strike him, until one final blast sent Shinji flying into the side of a building. He stood against the wall slouched, with his head down, dropping down the wall, leaving a trail of blood following him down.

NERV command crew watched with wide eyes while they heard Shinji's screams of pain suddenly cease as he hit the wall. Evangelion Armor Unit 01 stood there, cracked, and leaking life fluids from itself and from the fighter encased within it.

"Receiving no data from Evangelion," Maya said, struggling for her voice not to crack, "No life sign readings, no system readings, no sync-ratio readings."

Misato just stared at the screen, her mind at unrest upon the thought of the first person to die under her command; and one who fought against his own will.

"Evangelion reactivating!" Maya suddenly yelled, eyes growing wide in shock.

"The power should be at zero by now," exclaimed Hyuuga, "but sensors detect a large energy field building up within Unit 01!"

"What does this mean?" Misato turned to Ritsuko, speaking quickly and with fear.

"Is it…" Ritsuko stuttered, wide-eyed with surprise and shock, "… berserker?"

On the view screen, the Evangelion Armor began to glow. Shinji's face, viewable yet obscured by his headgear, remained blank as he began to stand once more, slouching in an ape-like manner. Shinji's eyes turned pure white and started to glow before they turned fully blood red. The young warrior tilted his head back and looked to the sky as he unleashed a deafening, animalistic roar that had but a small trace of his normal voice. His mangled left arm straightened out, then, in a split-second, it bulged out, regenerating itself. As if to test its movement, he flexed his left arm back, then let it hang back down at his side.

"We're receiving some telemetry form the suit" Aoba reported, "it's running at 250 of power capacity!"

"Synch-ratio status still unknown," stated Ibuki, "as are fighter life signs."

"Regeneration systems functioning at 4000 percent!" exclaimed Hyuuga, "damage to pilot and armor are fully restored."

Out on the streets of Tokyo-3, Shinji charged at the Angel, screaming not his high, shrilling shriek, but a low, growling roar that instilled fear in the hearts of all that heard it. The Angel braced itself, falling into what could be interpreted as a fighting stance. Shinji leapt into the air, leaving a flaming trail on the ground that faded as it followed him into the sky. As a purple blur in the sky, he landed on the Angel, knocking them both to the ground, skidding to halt while upturning the asphalt of the streets and bursting through the walls of buildings. When they came to a stop, Ikari looked once again to the sky before savagely starting to pound at the Angel with his armored fists. The Angel convulsed with every hit, letting out a short, high-pitched whine. Purple fists continued to fly through the air and hit the Angel's red core repeatedly; blue sparks erupting from every impact.

"Angel's core integrity at 20" Maya stated, back in the control room, "each hit is really hurting it… oh my God… no AT field is being expelled in energy form! Damage is being done by the force of impact of each hit."

From his seat behind and above the rest of the NERV officers, Commander Ikari Gendo grinned slightly while retaining his hands steepled in front of his face.

Crouched on top of the Angel, Shinji continued his assault on the Angel. Its pain-filled scream echoed throughout the night as the beating continued. Then finally, the Angel could not stand anymore of this abuse; it leaned into Shinji's face, and stared into his glowing, blood red eyes, before he began to laugh a hideous sound. While the strange laughter echoed, the Angel's core began to glow a dull yellow, a whining sound began to ring. A flaming field encircled the two warriors as the Angel self-destructed; soon, the inferno spread upward and around, causing a massive destructive shockwave as the light formed into a tremendous fiery cross above the city.

On the view screen of the command center, flames were all that could be seen. Moments later, a figure shadowy figure began to walk out of the fire. Soon, visibility was restored, and the NERV command crew was treated to a view of Ikari Shinji. As the red faded from his eyes, the beast leaving the expression on his face, his body fell to the ground, bloodied and mangled, but victorious and alive.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

This is not a true crossover, or even a fusion. This simply an Eva fic inspired by armored fighter-based anime, comics, and video games ex: Iron Man, Guyver, Voltage Fighters Gowkaiser, Bubblegum Crisis


	2. Part II: Revelations of Destiny

Armored Fighter Evangelion

By Trek1030

Part II: Revelations of Destiny

The immaculate white cleanliness of the hospital room sparkled in the morning sunlight. Beside the patient's bed, the shades of the window were drawn back, letting the morning light pour in. A sudden gasp intruded into the silence of the room, as the room's single patient awoke.

The young boy slowed down his breathing as he looked frantically around the room, finding it strange and unfamiliar. The boy looked down upon himself, finding that he wore a pale blue hospital gown, buttoned in the back. While he pondered about his current whereabouts, short flashes of memory began to flood back to his conscious mind.

"Is this Tokyo-3?" he quietly asked himself. The boy looked out the window to see lush green scenery, with a city that seemed to be stuck in the sky. "This is the geo-front…."

Slowly, Shinji walked out the door of his room and into a sparkling hallway. The TV hanging from the ceiling caught his attention; more specifically, the news showing on it.

"… and that is it for the sections of Tokyo-3 that are out of limits to civilians. Expect major construction to be going on.

"We have no confirmed reports about what caused this massive damage. Not only that, but still have no official reason for the emergency status of last night…"

Shinji zoned out the TV, as he turned inward to his own thoughts of confusion…. Maybe it was all a dream? It seemed so absurd… being chosen to wear a super-powered armor to fight hand-to-hand against an alien. Shinji nervously chuckled at himself as his confusion began to grow.

If it didn't happen, then why the hell am I in a hospital? Shinji slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes as he wondered if he was going insane….

A light squeak emanated from the hallway, toward Shinji's right. Turning toward the noise, a gurney came into view, accompanied by an entourage of doctors. As they approached, the group stopped as a tall, dark figure walked up to the small crowd. Getting to his feet, Shinji slowly edged closer, as if some force was calling for him, urging him to move.

The faint, blue-haired form on the gurney turned toward Shinji, seeming to beckon him with her crimson eyes. Stilly, she stared, her eyes burning into his weary soul. Taking notice, the dark figure turned to Shinji, as the girl slowly closed her eyes.

With the girl's eyes closed, Shinji's trance broke as he noticed the cold, dark stare of his father from behind rose-tinted glasses. Years of hatred swelling within, Shinji simply stepped to the side as the small crowd went passed, his father with them. Shinji looked on as they disappeared down the hallway, pondering to himself, never noticing the light chime of the elevator doors behind him.

"Such a cold man," came a sweet voice from behind, "Surely his soul weary son deserves a word or two."

"Misato!" Shinji exclaimed as he turned to face her, recognizing her voice.

"I came to pick you up," Misato responded with a smile and small wave, stepping out of the elevator.

Still caught in his own thoughts, Shinji walked down the hallway, meandering aimlessly. Keeping in step slightly behind him, Misato followed, smile not yet leaving her face, cheery attitude still not gone.

"I heard you were feeling okay…" She began, "… I'm glad, Shinji."

"Well… um…" Shinji mumbled, at a loss for words, "…yeah…"

"I can take you to your place," Misato continued, not noticing his muttering. "… HQ's really taken care of you, you've rated private quarters."

Noticing his demeanor, Misato frowned as she felt sorry this boy.

"Are you okay living alone, Shinji? If you submit a petition, you could arrange to live with your father..."

"No, that's alright," the boy said, stopping, a grim smile creeping across his face, "I'm used to being alone… and anyways, my father wouldn't want me around…"

"Oh don't be silly! Parents and children naturally live together! Don't hold back, if there's something you want to say then just-"

"Leave me alone! Please! It's none of your business, Misato…"

"Hey! I'm just worried about you, that's all!" Misato responded, sounding a little indignant.

"I'm always alone anyway, Misato. I'm used to it," Shinji responded. Feeling discouraged, Misato narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hmm… so gloomy," she remarked, smirking as an idea came to her, "I know just what'll fix that…"

"Huh?" Shinji questioned nervously, as he watched Misato pull out her cell phone and place a call.

"Hey Ritsuko? It's me… yeah, yeah…. About Shinji, he's gonna be living with me for a while so…"

"Wait! What did you just say?!" Shinji exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise. Taking no notice, Misato continued her conversation.

"… oh shut up, I'm not so desperate I'd to that with a child! Just get me the approval from above, all right? Seeya!

"There! That should do it," Misato smiled, facing Shinji.

"Wait… Misato," Shinji spoke despairingly, "You can't do this! Why do I have to live with you anyway?"

"Will you shut up!" she responded, becoming aggravated, "What part of 'commanding officer' do you not understand?"

Shrinking away, the young Ikari surrendered and slowly followed as Misato pulled him by his arm.

The next day found Shinji at NERV once more, awaiting a briefing from Dr. Akagi. The previous night had been odd to the boy, to say the least; beer and penguins would be forever burned into his memories, linked of course to his new home with Misato.

"Hello Shinji," Dr. Akagi greeted warmly, as she walked into the conference room. Going to the head of the table, directly opposite Shinji's seat, she put down her notebook and took a seat, taking a moment to greet the only other person in the room, Captain Katsuragi. "Hello Misato."

"Hey Rits," Misato said from the side of the room. Not wanting to keep her friend waiting, the captain took a seat beside Shinji and let Ritsuko begin.

"Before we let you wear the armor again Shinji," Dr. Akagi lectured, "It is imperative that you be briefed about the armor itself and about the operations of NERV."

"Of course, Doctor," Shinji responded unenthusiastically, though listening attentively.

"First off, I'll start with NERV's purpose. Put simply, there are Angels that are coming to attack the city, and we have to kill them before they kill us. More specifically, you and Rei have to kill them, as conventional weapons have proven useless against them. Yes, Shinji, You have a question?"

"But Mobile Armor is a conventional weapon," Shinji commented, somewhat confused, "it's everywhere. The police assault teams use it, so do those Knight Saber people in Tokyo-2, and I've heard of the Iron Man and War Machine fighting in their own armor over in America. Why not have them fight?"

"Good question," Ritsuko said, "The reason we don't have them fight the Angels is because their armor is a conventional weapon. Your armor is not.

"This brings me to my second point; the Evangelion Armor. While the Knight Sabers may fight with explosive punches and rockets, the Eva Armor has weapons on a much more surreal scale. Using your own natural energy, and the energy we provide the suit, all your attacks are in the form of AT-energy; that which holds the universe together, and comprises the human souls within each of us. It is the only thing we can fight the Angel's with."

"But why me?" Shinji interrupted, feeling scared as he realized that humanity's existence rested his ability to fight. "Why not get someone who can fight? Some one who's studied marital arts?"

"The Eva Armor can only work with specific people; the Marduk Institute has chosen from the population which people the armor would work with, only finding three."

"And I just had to be one of them…." Shinji whispered to himself, as Dr. Akagi continued. He listened attentively, as the weight of his responsibilities burned heavy upon his soul.

At Tokyo-3 High School, in the classroom known as 2A, an entire class of students began to feel true suffering as their teacher went on once more about the Second Impact, and his life before. As the teacher stared out the window, lost in his own golden memories, certain students nearly fell asleep with boredom. One such student was Shinji Ikari, who had been in the class for nearly a week; startling him to sobriety, a quiet beeping came from the speakers of his laptop computer.

Looking closer at the screen, Shinji saw an incoming chat message and, after a brief glance around, the young boy read the message:

Is it true? Are you the warrior?

A bit startled by this question, Shinji thought about the response. No one had told him to be quiet about his status, only to keep quiet about the armor. Not quite thinking about it long enough, Shinji only typed in one word:

Yes.

Almost immediately, a collective gasp filled the air. Students rushed toward the boy, bombarding him with questions about his fighting, about his armor, about who he was. The teacher never noticed; however class president Horaki Hikari still strove unsuccessfully to restore order.

"Interesting…" a boy to the side whispered to himself, adjusting his glasses as he listened in on to Shinji's vague description of his fight. Quickly typing, the boy, known as Aida Kensuke, entered the information into his own personal database, presumably for future use. Grinning at the information, Kensuke noticed a tall, dark-haired boy in a tracksuit, glaring knives at Shinji. Suzuhara Toji seemed to grow angrier by the second.

Kensuke remembered the short talk he had this morning with Toji; about his sister and the battle in the city. Kensuke knew something was about to happen; but he only adjusted his glasses and watched.

"Yo new kid!" Toji snarled at Shinji, causing the small crowd to grow silent. "Go to the roof; NOW!!"

Emphasizing his point with an angry fist, Toji only stared at the boy until Shinji reluctantly stood and made his way out of the room. Storming out, Toji followed as the rest of the class looked on his confusion. Only one other member of the class pursued them, a young man name Kensuke, gripping a digital camcorder in his hand.

Nearly growling, Toji sized up the boy who looked to the floor with downtrodden eyes. They (along with Kensuke) were alone on the roof, with the sun beating down upon them with its burning glare, though the burning light would never compare to the fury in Suzuhara's heart.

"You listen up, new kid," the angry teen began, "My little sister was hurt bad last week, during that attack on the city. She was crushed under a piece of falling rubble; and do you know whose fault this all is?"

Silently, Shinji just stared at the boy; the forlorn look in his face, still not changing, though inside the guilt began to build as he listened to the story of this boy's sister.

"It's your fault dammit!" Toji screamed, running at him. With a definitive thud, his fist struck Shinji's face, causing the Eva Warrior to fall to the ground. Suzuhara repeated kicked the fallen boy, ignoring the spot blood on the floor that just seemed to grow.

"Hold, it, Toji," Kensuke cried, grabbing his friend's arm, "That's enough!"

"Did you see her?" Toji responded, sadness filling his once angry voice, "All the machines around her… she can barely breathe…"

Closing his eyes, Kensuke backed off from the lost cause of stopping this fight; he of all people knew how stubborn Toji was, once he started something, he at least tried to go through with it. Toji's rage overtook him once again as he approached the fallen form of Shinji Ikari; though slowly he stopped as he watched the beaten boy arise.

Wiping blood from his mouth and face, Shinji's forlorn expression still hadn't changed. Staggering a bit, he turned around, no longer facing the boy, and slowly walked to the edge of the roof before finally addressing the vengeance-seeking Toji.

"I didn't want to fight… they made me…" Shinji cried, as small tears began to form at his closed eyes. "You want to hurt me? That's fine with me… but this time… don't hold back. Push me off this ledge, if you want. Just make it end."

"Okay new kid," Toji said, a grim smirk on his face as he raised his fist to Shinji, who was still not facing him, "You asked for it…"

Toji's fist impacted the back of Shinji's skull, causing the boy to lose his balance. As he stumbled on the edge of the building, Shinji peered over the edge and could only think of one thought; he thought of how peaceful it would be when everything would finally end. Not being able to compensate for his lost balance, Shinji fell through the air, edging closer to the place where he would splatter in a mess of blood, flesh, and entrails.

But the impact never occurred.

Through the air, Shinji could feel the presence of another. A gentle being, one that warmly wrapped around him like a mother's embrace. Had Shinji's eyes been open, he would have been witness to the soft glow of the Genesis Stone worn around his neck. He would have seen the light protectively envelope his body as he hit the ground. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the light vanished, leaving Shinji lying in the dirt.

Dizzy and dazed, Shinji stood up and looked down at his body. Where there should have been tears, bruises, and blood, the boy only saw his dirt-covered clothes. Still weary, Shinji absent-mindedly stumbled off, perhaps to find his way home.

Meanwhile, back at the roof of the school, two stood frozen in shock; as Kensuke and Toji peaked over the edge of the roof, they watched Shinji get up and walk away. At a loss for words, the duo simply sat down, contemplated the unreal light show they had witnessed.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Ikari Shinji; the hour spent buying groceries and the twenty minutes used to walk home were all just a meaningless blur. They were motions to mindlessly fall through; new motions for his life, but monotonous motions, nonetheless. In fact, the lowest point of his day had not yet come to pass, as Shinji would soon find something that would break his spirit far more than Suzuhara ever could. Oddly enough, it all started with the rude manners of a certain penguin.

"Pen-pen! Give that back! It's mine!"

The animal waddled off with a package of beef jerky held in his beak; behind Pen-pen, Shinji powered on, desperate to save his snacks. With Misato still at work, Shinji was on his own, and Pen-pen still had not adjusted to him. Seeking refuge, Pen-pen scrambled into Misato's room, shutting the door behind him. Confident in his genius, the penguin sat on Misato's bed with a slight smirk on his face.

Ripping open the package with his beak, Pen-pen never managed to savor a single piece of jerky as Shinji burst through the door and grabbed the entire thing from him.

"Why does Misato keep a critter like you anyway?" Shinji scolded the bird, relieved to have his snack back. Upon glancing around the room, Shinji took notice of the disaster area surrounding him. Dirty clothes lay strewn about carelessly, all over the floor and bed. Misato's disorganized dresser caught Shinji's attention; amongst the make-up products and bottles of perfume, papers were haphazardly thrown about. Just peeking out from beneath a paper, a notebook could be seen, Shinji just making out the words 'Third Child'.

Stepping through the mess, Shinji reached the dresser and picked up the notebook in fascination. The cover read 'Third Child Surveillance Report'. Something deep within Shinji broke at that moment; a vague sense of betrayal, of some strange hope lost. Flipping through the notebook, glanced at many things regarding himself. Surveillance, psychological reports, his daily routine, along with Misato's comments on every aspect of his life filled the notebook.

To an observer, it would of appeared as though the young boy was in a state of shock as he silently and unemotionally replaced the notebook and exited his guardian's room. Slowly, Shinji retreated to the darkness of his own room, not bothering to turn on the lights. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he once more lost himself in his own thoughts, letting a single tear slide down his saddened face.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

The entire scene where Misato decides to have Shinji live with her is almost exactly copied from the manga; I prefer the manga to the anime, as some things seem to have been done better. Seems to be more character development and such in the manga. In fact, as the fic progresses, many scenes from the manga will be used, although altered to fit… well… my tastes, really )

Now, the way I plan to structure this fic is to have a chapter for every major fight, with chapters that lack action between the fights. So, expect the next chapter to have a big ass fight. Although, don't get your expectations up, as I really doubt as to how fast I'll complete a chapter. It may be a week, or maybe even months. Years, even.


End file.
